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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. capital — a city
  5. pitch — completely
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. capital — money
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. firm — a company
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. firm — decided
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. hand — help
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. firm — steady
  21. field — a subject
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. field — farmland
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com